Recently, home wastewater treatment systems have become increasingly popular. Prior to the development of home wastewater treatment systems, septic tanks were the conventional manner of cleaning home and small commercial establishment wastes from the water. In view of the great cost associated with connecting a home sewage system with the city sewage system, it is economically beneficial to employ the use of home wastewater treatment systems. Present home wastewater treatment systems are a down-sized, underground version of the treatment processes employed by large central treatment plants.
Essentially, the treatment process correlates with an example found in nature. When a creek runs through rocks and over logs, turbulence is created and oxygen is captured. Aerobic bacteria utilize oxygen in their digestion processes. This allows the creek to purify itself. The home wastewater treatment systems simply employ a speeded-up version of this process in a manner known as "extended aeration". Air or oxygen is brought in by means of an efficient air pump and then diffused into thousands of tiny air bubbles by means of fine air diffusion. As these tiny bubbles move upward through the wastewater, oxygen is captured and the same purification process takes place. Such a system can allow normal household waste water to be reduced to a clear odorless liquid.
One such system has been manufactured and sold by Hydro-Action, Inc. of P.O. Box 12583, Beaumont, Tex. The system is known as the HYDRO-ACTION.TM. system. It is a self-contained automatic system. The HYDRO-ACTION.TM. system incorporates two separate compartments, each performing a specific function in the digestion process. First, raw waste water enters the aeration compartment and is mixed with activated sludge and aerated. An air pump injects large quantities of air into this compartment by means of porous ceramic diffusers located above the bottom perimeter of the aeration compartment. These diffusers create thousands of tiny air bubbles which provide oxygen for the aerobic digestion process and mixes the compartment's entire contents. These tiny bubbles provide better air-to-liquid contact so as to hasten the aerobic digestion process. Aerobic bacteria then use the oxygen in solution to break down the wastewater so as to convert the wastewater into an odorless liquid and gas. Hydraulic displacement causes the mixture to enter the second and final compartment. Due to the calm conditions and sloping walls of the clarification compartment, any remaining settleable material is encouraged to return to the aeration compartment for further treatment. The remaining effluent, upon reaching the outlet piping, is clear and odorless.
This HYDRO-ACTION.TM. system allows homes to be built on clay soil, rock or high water tables. This system also helps to protect the ground water supplies and eliminates gross pollution of ditches and streams. The effluent discharged from such a system is allowed by some state and local regulatory agencies to be discharged directly to a stream or pond or used to surface irrigate lawns and pastures. In areas where surface discharge is not allowed, subsurface disposal methods can be used with good success.
Conventionally, in such extended aeration treatment systems, a control panel is connected to the wastewater treatment system so as to control and monitor the conditions within the treatment tank. An air pump is also used so as to supply air to the aerators and diffusers within the aeration compartment of the tank. The control panel is typically electrically connected to the air pump so as to monitor the pressure delivered by the air pump. In conventional practice, a wastewater treatment tank will be buried in the earth a suitable distance away from a home or a commercial establishment. Since these wastewater treatment tanks are relatively large (at least 500 gallons capacity), a significant hole must be formed in the earth so as to accommodate the wastewater treatment system. After the wastewater treatment system is installed into the earth, only the cover of the access opening of the tank will be exposed above the earth. In normal practice, the control panel will be placed onto a wall of the home or commercial establishment or upon a pedestal. The air pump will be placed in a location generally adjacent to the wall of the commercial establishment or home. So as to allow the electrical lines from the control panel to reach the tank, it is necessary to trench the earth so as to allow conduits to extend from the home or commercial establishment to the tank. Similarly, trenching must be carried out in the earth so as to allow the air lines from the air pump to pass to the treatment tank. Additional trenching may be required so as to allow the electrical lines from the control panel to be connected to the air pump.
This process of trenching the earth is a very time consuming and tedious process. Many homeowners are reluctant to allow such trenching to occur. Typically, the installers of such extended aeration wastewater treatment systems will take shortcuts in the installation of the electrical conduits and air lines. Under certain circumstances, these lines will cross in the earth. In other circumstances, separate trenches will not be formed for the electrical lines and for the air lines. Instead, the installer of the extended aeration wastewater treatment system will simply attempt to place the air lines and the electrical lines together in a single trench. This practice is improper since the crossing of the air lines and the electrical lines can pinch the air lines so as to reduce air flow to the aeration system. Furthermore, when the electrical lines and the air lines are installed in this manner, any settling of the earth will cause the air line to become pinched.
Normally, the air pump must be placed on a graded surface. As such, the installer must grade a section of the earth so as to allow for the placement of the air pump on a level surface. Under certain circumstances, the air pump will be placed upon a concrete base so as to be properly supported in a desired position above the earth. The installation of the air pump and the construction of the base for the air pump takes a great deal of time during the installation of such aerobic wastewater treatment systems.
When the control panel is installed onto the wall of the house, it is necessary for the installer to drill holes in the wall of the house and to position the control panel in a desired location. Under certain circumstances, the homeowner may not wish to have a control panel placed on the wall of the house. Under other circumstances, the placement of the control panel on the wall of the house is in a difficult to reach or otherwise undesirable location. In any event, a great deal of labor is required to properly place the control panel on the house.
In the installation of the control panel and the air pump, the installer is required to have a suitable level of knowledge of electrical circuitry. This knowledge is required so as to allow the installer to properly connect the electrical line to the air pump components and to the treatment tank components. Wires must be extended over a great deal of distance within conduits so as to allow the proper electrical connections to be made. If an improper electrical connection is made, then the aerobic wastewater treatment system will not function in the desired manner. In other circumstances, short circuits can occur if the electrical lines are not installed properly. It has been found that the typical installer of such aerobic wastewater treatment systems lacks sufficient knowledge in electrical circuitry to effectively install the wastewater treatment system. Under certain circumstances, electricians must be called in so as to complete the connections.
Whenever it is necessary to service such extended aeration wastewater treatment systems, the person carrying out the service must move back and forth between the control panel, the air pump and the tank so as to properly test the system. This can be a tedious task which requires several trips back and forth between the various components of the system. Under other circumstances, two persons will be required to effectively test and service the treatment tank. For example, it is often necessary to have one person stationed by the air pump while the other person is inspecting the interior of the treatment tank. In other circumstances, one person must be stationed by the control panel while the other person is stationed by the treatment tank. The arrangement of the air pump, the control panel and the treatment tank in conventional systems greatly complicates the ability to properly service the treatment tank.
In certain circumstances, a pump tank is connected to the treatment tank of the extended aeration system. The pump tank is used so as to receive water from the treatment tank and to allow the liquid from the treatment tank to be pumped for irrigation or other disposal purposes. The pump tank has a liquid pump located within the interior of the tank. Whenever a pump tank is used, it is necessary to further trench the earth so as to allow for the installation of the electrical power supply line to reach the pump tank. Normally, this requires a conduit to be installed in the earth for the distance from the control panel to the pump tank. Typically, several electrical lines must extend from the control panel to the pump tank. The installation of the pump tank greatly complicates the ability to install the wastewater treatment system. Additionally, further electrical knowledge is required so as to effectively connect the various leads of the electrical lines to the pump tank with the connectors from the control panel.
In the past, it has been difficult to consider the placement of an air pump and a control panel on the top of the treatment tank. Typically, the treatment tank will have a curved top surface which extends over the cylindrical tank. A very large access opening is placed centrally of the top of the tank. This access opening allows access to the interior of the tank. Conventionally, the access opening will open so as to allow a person to inspect the interior of the clarifier compartment. However, the access opening generally makes it difficult to inspect the interior of the aeration compartment. There is very little space on the top of the tank beyond the area of the access opening. As such, there is insufficient space on the top of the tank to accommodate an arrangement of the air pump and the control panel.
One technique for the placement of the aerator assemblies within such extended aeration systems has been to place a first aerator on one side of the clarifier compartment and a second aerator on the opposite side of the clarifier compartment. Under circumstances where the access opening is placed centrally of the top of the tank, it becomes a very difficult problem to access such aerator assemblies for inspection and repair. Since the aerator assemblies are placed in inconvenient locations within the tank, the maintenance or repair personnel must reach deeply into the tank so as to "thread" the aerator conduit through openings formed in the clarifier compartment. This is a very difficult, time consuming and tedious process. In the past, it has been desirable to make the access opening as large as possible so as to facilitate the ability to inspect and repair the aerator assemblies. However, in contrast, the homeowner prefers not to have large "monuments" extending outwardly of the earth near his or her home. As such, a need has developed so as to minimize the size of such "monuments" associated with the extended aeration wastewater treatment system.
One of the problems with the electrical connections within the interior of wastewater treatment systems is the ability to electrically isolate the junction box or control panel from the liquids and gases within the interior of the wastewater treatment tank. Under certain circumstances, waterproof electrical cable extends to the various switches located within the interior of the .backslash.wastewater treatment tanks. Unfortunately, various corrosive gases will flow through the conduits supporting such waterproof cables until the terminals at the end of the electrical lines are very corroded. Once the electrical connections become corroded, it is often difficult or impossible to properly repair or reconnect the electrical lines. This corrosion effect is particularly pronounced when chlorine is used for the treatment of the wastewater.
Under other circumstances, where the junction boxes are placed on the interior of one of the .backslash.wastewater treatment tanks, an overflow condition can result in the contamination or destruction of the junction box. Whenever water flows onto the surface of the junction box, then short circuits are created by the water which remains internally within the junction box. As such, a need has developed so as to isolate the junction box or electrical control panel from the various fluids located within the interior of either the aeration tank or the pump tank of wastewater treatment systems.
Under certain circumstances, the homeowner will prefer to have the electrical controller (or "control center") located within a housing placed on top of the aeration tank of the wastewater treatment system. In such an arrangement, the number of monuments in the homeowner's yard are minimized and access to the control center is facilitated. In the configuration of the present invention, as identified in prior U.S. Application Ser. No. 09/151,327, corrosive gases could flow through conduits extending to the operations control center would corrode the various terminals located within the operations control center and electrical enclosures. As such, a need developed so as to be able to isolate the equipment and terminals of the operations control center from such corrosive gases.
In other circumstances, the homeowner will desire that the operations control center be placed at a location remote from the wastewater treatment tanks. For example, the homeowner may wish the operations control center of the wastewater treatment plant be located adjacent to the home, garage or a wall of an adjacent facility. As a result, it is necessary to extend the electrical lines from the remotely located operations control center to a junction box within the wastewater treatment system. Whenever a junction box is placed on the interior of a tank, there is a possibility of fluid and/or gas contamination from either the liquid within the particular tank or from the corrosive gases within the tank. As a result, it is necessary to isolate the terminals in the operations control center from the fluids and/or gas within the tank or tank junction box.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wastewater treatment system which conveniently places the electrical controls and/or air pump within an accessible area.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wastewater treatment system which effectively isolates the electrical controls and/or air pump from any corrosive gases or fluids within the wastewater treatment tank.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wastewater treatment tank which facilitates the use of waterproof cable within the interior of the tank.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wastewater treatment system which allows all of the electrical lines to the pump tank and from the aeration tank to be controlled from a central location.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wastewater treatment system which allows for the "packaging" of all of the tanks of the wastewater treatment system and the electrical, mechanical and pneumatic items of the system within a single package.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wastewater treatment system which facilitates access to the pump in the pump tank.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a wastewater treatment system which allows for the use of a remotely located operations control center.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wastewater treatment system where the junction box associated with a remotely located operations control center is effectively maintained in a fluidically isolated environment.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the attached specification and appended claims.